Research Centre: Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering
To keep North Dakota's spring thaw waters from flooding into Canada, Canadian farmers from Manitoba's Pembina River Basin constructed a 29 km dike just 10 metres north of the U.S.-Canada border. Built in the 1940s, the dike has proved an effective method in stemming the flow onto Canadian soil, but flood waters now inundate farmlands south of the border.
Research Centre: Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering
Bioremediation is a waste management technique that uses microorganisms to break down toxic chemicals in soil, water and air. It holds the potential to change the way municipalities, government agencies and industry can minimize the adverse environmental effects of organic chemical spills. In Canada, bioremediation on land has already proved successful in the North, prompting new research into its potential use in marine environments.
Research Centre: Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering
Wind turbines and solar panels dot the landscape in many parts of Canada, each helping to reduce Canadas dependence on fossil fuels and move the nation to more environmentally friendly and sustainable power sources. Today, almost 17 percent of Canadas total primary energy supply comes from renewable resources an important contribution toward extending the planets life and reducing our impact on the environment as energy demand continues to rise. The National Research Council (NRC) is working to increase this percentage through R&D focused on mapping marine energy resources improving the commercial and technical performance of marine renewable energy systems emerging technologies for harvesting useful energy from ocean waves and water currents in both rivers and coastal waters.
Research Centre: Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering
With the rapid growth of oil and gas development off Canada's east coast, and as economic and political interests in the Arctic increase, the ability for seagoing vessels and offshore structures to operate safely in Canadian waters remains of critical importance. The use of predictive strategies continues to be a crucial tool in avoiding collisions and protecting existing structures in waterways saturated with icebergs, ice build-up and other formidable obstacles.